Screenplay Prompt

Features

• Slugline-style prompts with INT./EXT. locations
• Dynamic time of day (DAY/NIGHT based on system time)
• Random scene transitions (CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, FADE TO:, etc.)
• Customizable locations for your home directory
• Title page on terminal startup
• Fully customizable via simple text files

Installation

Bash

Add to your ~/.bashrc:

source /path/to/screenplay-prompt/screenplay-prompt.sh

Zsh

Add to your ~/.zshrc:

source /path/to/screenplay-prompt/screenplay-prompt.sh

Example Output

                                                    CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S - NIGHT

$ cd projects
                                              DISSOLVE TO:
INT. /HOME/RICK/PROJECTS - NIGHT

$ 

Customization

All configuration files are stored in ~/.config/screenplay/ by default. Update location with:

export SCREENPLAY_CONFIG="$HOME/.screenplay"
source screenplay-prompt.sh

Locations (~/.config/screenplay/locations)

One location per line. Used when in your home directory:

INT. RICK'S
INT. BEDROOM
INT. KITCHEN
EXT. COFFEE SHOP

Transitions (~/.config/screenplay/transitions)

One transition per line. Displayed right-aligned before each prompt:

CUT TO:
DISSOLVE TO:
FADE TO:
SMASH CUT TO:

Title Page (~/.config/screenplay/title)

Centered text displayed when opening a new terminal:

ANNIE HALL

written by

Woody Allen
Marshall Brickman

ANSI Support: Title files can include ANSI escape codes for styling. The centering algorithm correctly handles color codes:

\033[1;37mYOUR TERMINAL\033[0m

written by

\033[3mYou\033[0m

Theme Pairing

For the complete screenwriting experience, pair with:

• Font: Courier Prime (the digital screenwriting standard)
• Color scheme: High-contrast or minimal themes
• See themes/ directory for WezTerm configuration

Configuration

Set custom config directory:

export SCREENPLAY_CONFIG="$HOME/.screenplay"
source screenplay-prompt.sh

Git Integration

Note: All git features gracefully degrade when not in a git repository.

Screenplay-prompt automatically detects git repositories and adds narrative context:

Branch Character Introductions

When you switch branches or enter a new repo, the branch introduces itself:

INT. /HOME/USER/PROJECT - DAY

                   FEATURE/AUTH-REFACTOR
          (3 days old, optimistic, ready to ship)

$

Repository Introductions

Entering a new git repo displays the repo's story from .git/description:

INT. /HOME/USER/MY-PROJECT - DAY

MY-PROJECT, 3 months old, a web application for task management.

$

To set your repo description:

echo "Your project description here" > .git/description

Page Numbers

Your commit count appears as a screenplay page number:

                                                   PAGE 247
                                                    CUT TO:
INT. /HOME/USER/PROJECT - DAY

Compatibility

• Bash: 3.2+ (tested on macOS default, Linux distros)
• Platforms: Linux (GNU), macOS (BSD), any POSIX-compliant system
• Terminal: Works in TTY and non-TTY environments (graceful degradation)
• Portability: Automatic fallback for missing shuf command on BSD/macOS
• Git: 1.7+ (optional - features disabled if git not available)

License

MIT